Reprogam
by curiousscientistkae
Summary: Penny has always been a loving, happy, and curious soul. It is something Ruby has come to love about the girl. But what happens when Penny is no longer like that. What can Ruby do when Penny is now out for her head?


Ruby gasps for breath. The night air is cold enough that her breath crystalizes in front of her. Blood seeps through the cracks of her fingers. Thanks to her aura the bleeding has slowed but still slowly oozes from the gash on her side. At least she is safe, for now. Tall boxes stacked up high shield Ruby from her attacker. From Penny. It will only be a matter of time till Penny finds hers.

What happened is a question that plays around in her head. It was only a few days ago that Penny was laughing, talking, and smiling with Ruby. Now she is out for her blood. _Ruby's_ blood. What set her off? It can't be anything Ruby or anyone else has done, right? Since her last date with Penny, Ruby and her friends have been just at Beacon, studying, sitting in their dorms, and relaxing. Nothing anyone has done could have set Penny off this bad.

Something has had to change. Penny called Ruby to the warehouse. That should have been the younger girl's clue something was up. But she still went. When Ruby got she was not greeted warmly. Penny's normally bright and friendly eyes, full of life, were blank. Ruby could not see any hint of emotion in her face. Curious, Ruby moved forward to ask what was wrong. Penny answered with ten swords pointed at Ruby's body. Everything happened so fast Ruby could not pull out her weapon to defend or attack. She used her semblance to flee in horror and panic over Penny attacking her. Somehow she managed to find safety.

Then it hits her. Ruby remembers back when Penny told Ruby that her father did not want her to talk to Ruby or the others. And then how she found out Penny is a robot. Could her father have found out Penny was seeing Ruby and her friends? Could he be working for someone who wants them dead or incapacitated? Did someone reprogram Penny for killing?

There is no more time for thinking or hiding. One of Penny's blades pierces through the wooden box. Splinters fly everywhere. The sharp edge of the sword slashes Ruby across the cheek. Ruby jerks away just as the rest of Penny's weapons cut through the boxes, breaking and knocking them over. Ruby grabs her scythe from behind her. Another sword flies at Ruby but is deflected by Crescent Rose. The ten swords return to their master. Penny walks forward, her light green eyes locked on Ruby.

"Penny! Penny please. It's me! Ruby! Please remember!" Ruby pleads. Her cries go unanswered. Penny brings her weapons in front of her. They form a large circle and begin spinning around and around. A green aura grows in the space between the swords.

Ruby's silver eyes widen. She knows exactly what is next. Using her semblance Ruby bolts out of the way from the blast. A gaping hole now stands where Ruby just was. Taking her eyes away from what could have been her, Ruby looks back at her friend. Penny is preparing for another attack. Ruby needs to attack. If she can just disarm her then maybe she can talk with Penny. But how can she do that without harming her?

Penny has no problem attacking. The swords fly at her again. Once more Ruby reflects the attacks. In the light of the moon Ruby sees a faint glint. The lines Penny uses to control the swords. Ruby lets a few of the swords fly past her. They smack into the concrete. Before Penny can draw them back, Ruby goes to cut the thin string attached to the swords. If Ruby can break the string then Penny will be defenseless.

The sting has to be made of something strong. When Ruby uses the edge of her scythe to break the string it still stands. The sword under Ruby's weapon flies back and scarps across the metal of Ruby's weapon. The high pitch scraping noise hurts Ruby's ears. It stuns her for a moment, just long enough for Penny to point her swords at Ruby once more.

 _Damn it. What do I do?_ Ruby thinks. _There has to be something to stop her!_

Penny's swords circle in front of her. Another beam attack. Ruby begins moving away from her friend's crosshairs but Penny begins moving herself and keeps her now glowing green circle on Ruby. Penny fires her blast once more. Like before Ruby jumps out of the, however, the edge of the beam nips Ruby. She tumbles to the ground, clutching her legs. The blast has disintegrate the back of her boots and her pants. Her skin has turn red and raw and stings at the slightest touch. Ruby grits her teeth together as she struggles to her feet. She needs Crescent Rose for support.

"Penny…" Ruby whimpers. "I know you are in there! _Please_ remember."

Ruby believes the Penny she knows is in there. Even if whoever erased her memory Penny still has a soul. That part of her is still there. No matter what anyone does her soul is in there. The people she met, those that have touched her and the ones she touched, all still live there. Your soul is partly made up of those people. Ruby needs to find to reach that part of Penny.

"Don't you remember me Penny? We met when Weiss crashed into you?" Ruby says. "Then later we went looking for Blake and you helped stop the White Fang? Remember that?" Penny mindless walks forwards. Ruby swallows before speaking again. Much of her body aches. "Remember later I found you again and you said your father did not want you to speak to me or the others? Then after hanging out things got a little crazy and I found out you were a robot, but I swore never to tell. I haven't still."

Nothing is working. Penny is drawing closer. Her swords are pointed at Ruby again, ready for attack. Ruby tries pulling up her own weapon. The second her scythe leaves the ground her legs begin to shake. Ruby places it back down on the ground in fear of falling. If she can't hold her weight then she stands no chance of escape.

"Remember how then we would go out in secret? I taught you so many things since your father always had you under lock and key before I came? I told you what food tasted like. How I showed you how things work? Remember the time you could not move your arm so I got out my tool kit and fixed it up? You said it was even better than before? Penny you have to remember."

Penny stops for a moment. Ruby can see a hint of recognition in her light green eyes. Her mouth opens to say something but as quickly as it came it fades. Whatever has a grip on her mind has taken a hold of her again. Ruby can only see one more option. It's a last resort. She no idea if it will work or if she will come out alive.

Using all the strength she can muster Ruby stands up straight. She begins walking towards Penny, using her weapon as a crutch. The two draw closer to each other. Penny throws some of her swords Ruby. Ruby somehow manages deflecting a few, while getting cut up with others. She stumbles, quickly using her weapon to steady herself again.

Now she is feet away from Penny. There is still one sword left. Without second thought Ruby dash forward. She feels Penny's sword penetrate her lower abdomen. Even with a sword in her stomach and blood trickling out of her mouth Ruby grips tightly on Penny's body. She remembers once Penny showed Ruby all of her mechanics, even where her programming is. She also showed her a temporary shutdown button. If she can just stop Penny for now, shut her down for a while, she can figure out how to bring back the old Penny. Hopefully.

Ruby starts fiddling around as best she can. Unable to see Penny's back Ruby can only guess where everything is. Her hand slide across metal as her finger try grasping something. At one point she is able to grab onto something but it slips. It does not help that every time Penny tries pulling out her sword a wave of pain travels through Ruby's body. She gasps for breath and coughs up more blood. The only thing stopping Penny from fully pulling out is Ruby herself. She has her body pressed tight against Penny's body. Ruby has wrapped the thin wire around her free hand. It cuts into her skin causing more bleeding. Her hand also holds onto the hilt of the sword. Ruby knows the second she lets the sword leave her body she will bleed out. She won't let that happen. Least not till Penny is fixed.

It is useless. Ruby is growing tired from all her wounds. Every time she grasps something her fingers slip. Even the hand around the hilt is loosening. Ruby needs to think fast. Giving up on trying to shut her down Ruby just looks at her dead in the eyes.

"Penny….Penny I know you are in there." Ruby says in a hush voice. She is becoming weaker by the second. Ruby needs to swallow some blood and spit before continuing talking. "I saw it. You were back. For a moment." Ruby places her head on Penny' forehead. Either Penny is really warm or Ruby is really cold. "I'm your friend. Your _best_ friend. Hell. I'm your _girlfriend_ Penny. Please…I love you."

Ruby's voice has become shaky by the time she finishes. But it seems like no use. Penny's eyes are still blank. Ruby cannot say anything else. Out of the corner of her eyes she sees the glint of one of Penny's other swords, amid at her back. Ruby uses her semblance to move out of the way before the finishing blow hits her. The other sword still in her Ruby falls to the ground. There is no way she will rise. Her legs no longer have strength left in them.

Her silver eyes find Penny once more. She tries pulling back her weapon back. With what little strength left Ruby still holds on tight to it. The edges of her vision have become black when a bright and hot orange flame flashes in front of Ruby. The tightness of the wire suddenly weakens. The fire broke it. Penny steps back, shocked, before another flame erupts besides her. That is the last thing before blackness over takes Ruby.

* * *

Ruby blinks. A dull white light hits her eyes. She winces, lifting her hand as a shield. That is when she sees white bandages wrapped around her hand. When she tries making a fist pain shoots across her arm. Ruby hisses through her teeth at the feeling.

"Ruby?" Yang voice says. Ruby looks over as a chair squeaks across tile. Yang is at her bedside. But it's not the bed at Beacon Ruby rest on. She is in a hospital one. Ruby looks around at her new room. Tubes and wire stand next to the bed. Some of the wires stick into her body. Something tickles the inside of her nose.

"You okay Rubes?" Yang asks.

Ruby mind is fuzzy. She cannot remember why she would be here. "I…I don't know. What am I doing here? What happen?"

Yang bites her lip and looks away. Ruby narrows her eyes at her sister. "What happen Yang?" Ruby persist. Imagines of blood, explosions, and Penny fill her mind. Penny is all over her head. "Where is Penny, Yang?"

"Ruby you should relax right now. You got hurt pretty badly." Yang changes the subject. This angers Ruby even more. Her sister is hiding something. Ruby snaps up in her bed to become more at eye level with Yang. But pain, much more intense then when she tired squeezing her hand, spreads from her stomach throughout her whole body. Ruby cannot help crying out in pain. Her legs instinctively begin curling up. That only sends more pain through her body.

Yang calls out for someone before gently pushing her sister down on the bed. "Breath Ruby, breath." Yang says. "Calm down."

Ruby does her best to listen. Breathing does not help though. All she can think about is the pain rolling through her. The pain only subsides when a doctor appears and injects her with something. Slowly the pain fades away. She sighs in relief. When the doctor leaves Yang takes a seat besides her sister's bed. After some thought Yang starts talking.

"By know you must realize that you are pretty banged up, huh?"

"Yeah. What happen though Yang? Why did it feel like someone stabbed and burned me?" Ruby asks.

"Well cause…you were."

"By who?"

Yang does not answer right away. When she does she looks away from her sister. "Penny."

"What?" Ruby blinks. With whatever the doctor injected into only has made her mind hazier. She can see Penny standing in front of her. She can see that her eyes are blank and her weapons poised to strike at her. Ruby grips her sheets with her good hand. "Why?"

"I thought you would know. We—Weiss, Blake, and I—overheard that there was a battle going on at the warehouse. We knew that was where Penny said for you to go. By the time we got there we saw you on the ground with Penny's sword imbedded in your body." Yang stops, clearly still upset that she almost found her sister dead from someone she calls a friend.

A memory flashes in Ruby's mind. A bright burst of fire. "You lost it, didn't you? There…there was at least two giant fireballs, least that I can remember."

"Yeah. You know me. Figure out why Penny did that? We have no clue."

Ruby sighs and closes her eyes. Those blank eyes stare back at her. Completely void of any emotion. That's it. Ruby opens her eyes. "I think she was reprogrammed."

"Wait what? Reprogrammed? What are you talking about? Did that doc give you too much of the pain stuff? You aren't going loopy on me are you?"

 _Crap. Yang didn't know. Now she does._ Ruby thinks. "No I'm not loopy…just still disoriented. And I was not supposed to say that, the reprogramming thing...Penny made me promise but I guess I just broke it. Penny is a robot with a soul. I can't say for sure but I am pretty sure someone did _something_ to make her try to kill me and I'm sure you guys also."

"Damn. I always joke Penny wasn't human but I never really meant or expected it to be real. What makes you say she was after all of us?"

Everything is coming back to her. "She had no idea who I was. I kept calling out to her but I got almost no reaction. There was one for a moment before it faded away. I'm sure that whoever did that could not just be after me."

Both sisters sit in silence, taking everything in. Everything starts playing back in Ruby's mind. Calling out, pleading with Penny to stop. Penny sending her swords and blast at Ruby. Her burned injures from when she tried to get away from a blast. And the last ditched attempted to stop Penny. Purposely throwing her body through Penny's weapon. More pleading then the fire and then darkness. Ruby could not save Penny.

"Yang…" Ruby finally says. She needs to know what happened. Yang still has an unanswered question.

"Yeah Ruby?" Her sister replies.

"What happen after I passed out? What happen to Penny? Did you guys stop her or…" Ruby cannot finishes her sentence. She cannot fathom the thought Penny could be gone.

"No we didn't. We couldn't stop her or kill her. Nearly killing you or not I don't think either of us could kill her. We were much more focused on keeping you alive that Penny slipped away. I guess she did not expect us to show. Maybe she wanted to pick us off one by one than wanted to take us all on, if what you said about killing us is true. Make sense. But we have no idea where she is."

"So…she is still not her?"

"Yeah. She's still out there for blood."

Suddenly Ruby begins crying. She could not save Penny. She could not bring the good old Penny back. Many thoughts bounce around in her head. What if Penny is still aware of what she is doing? That she just can't control herself. What if she is out there hurting more people? Could she be permanently be a killer? Will she ever be the sweet, loving, and curious Penny ever again?

Yang says nothing as she gently settles down on Ruby's bed. She cradles her younger sister in her arms. Ruby sobs into Yang's shoulder. "We…We have to bring her back…Yang. We have to….We have to bring her back." Ruby weeps.

"We will Rubes. We will. But you need to heal right now. There is no way you can look for her." Yang reassures her.

"Can…Can you guys please….please look for her till I get better?"

"Yes. We will. Rest now Ruby. I'll be right back. I just need to call the others and tell them you are awake. Okay?"

Ruby nods. Yang exits the room, leaving Ruby alone. Rest does not come to her. All she can think of is Penny, lost in her own mind. Her crying becomes silent. Ruby stares at her wrapped up hand, thinking about starting down Penny has she tired bring her back. Even when Yang comes back she is still crying. All Yang does to calm Ruby is rub her back. Eventually her crying uses up all her energy. She slips into a dream of trying to reach out and touch Penny, only for her to either fade away, move back, or be unreachable.


End file.
